Do you remember your last real vacation? A vacation that involved a trip away from your home? As an entrepreneur, we understand if the term “vacation” is a confusing one to you – what are vacations, and who can take the time away from their business to utilize one? All kidding aside, try to remember a vacation in which something went wrong, whether it was a bad meal, an uncomfortable hotel room or a mix-up at the rental car company – looking back, did you become angrier or more frustrated than you normally would in such a situation?
An Unexpected Reaction
We often react to unfortunate instances such as these more severely than we would under normal circumstances. Obviously our investments of both time and money are more precious to us while on vacation, and we anticipate that we will experience an uninterrupted journey of luxurious, relaxing experiences.
Even if your clients and customers aren’t on vacation or preparing for a vacation when interacting with your brand and business, using an unfortunate vacation experience as a metaphor for the Customer Journey, or the journey your customers take when interacting with and ultimately deciding to engage your brand, is a great way to illustrate the importance of ensuring that your Customer Journey lives up to the expectations created by your brand.
The Journey
Why do we become so angry when our vacation or other personal experiences are disrupted? After all, most disruptions are due to simple human error, and the consequences of those errors are usually not severe. In most cases, we’re not angry because of the specific inconvenience, but because our overall experience or “journey” of the vacation has been disrupted. Many vacationers even prefer “all-inclusive” or insular vacation experiences such as those offered by cruise liners and resort destinations, simply to make the experience as hassle-free and seamless as possible. Our vacations aren’t simply a series of locations and events, but are instead intended to be seamless experiences designed to relax, entertain and enrich our lives. Simply put, it’s about how our vacations make us feel.
Promise A Good Experience
How do these vacation metaphors relate to your business and, more specifically, your brand? It all comes back to the promises made to your clients and customers with your brand, promises your clients and customers expect on their journey as soon as they become aware of your brand until after the product or service is sold and delivered. While it is impossible to prevent mistakes and mishaps from occurring at your business, you must closely align the actual journey that your customers undertake when interacting with your business and brand with the one promised through your branding.
Crafting Your Customer Journey
In this module of our Go Ahead. Dream Big. course, we help you understand the importance of crafting and cultivating your Customer Journey to ensure that your customers’ experience interacting with your business and brand is as seamless and fulfilling as possible, aligning with the journey promised through your branding. We’ll provide questions and tools that can help you make the right decisions for your brand and your business, providing the guidance you need to develop a stronger brand and a better, more fulfilling journey for your customers!